Black Magic
by MissGorey
Summary: Professor Snape is the idol of any Slytherin fan girl at Hogwarts, but only one was brave enough to come forth and try to be close to him. With the aid of an ancient book given to her in a dream by none other than Tom Riddle, she begins to dabble with things that she shouldn't have (including love spells). She becomes cursed, and ends up hurting more people than she intended to.
1. Chapter 1

I do not claim copyright to any of the characters from Harry Potter. All characters including Mae, Genevieve, Olive, Jennifer, and Ellen belong to me, however (any OCs). I'm just doing this for fun :)

**_All passages taken from the Grand Grimoire and other occult grimoires are not intended copyright infringement, as most of these texts are now in public domain_**

I had been staring at him all afternoon during class. The way his robes seemed to flow about him like a black mist, his scowl fixed on his face as he lectured with that deep, smooth voice of his. A few other girls sighed audibly, causing him to pause and glare in their direction. The girls straightened up at once and put their best student faces on while they attempted to keep their heads out of the clouds. He hadn't noticed me, I had perfected my hobby over time as to go undetected. While seeming to be transfixed in his lecture about poisons, I was in reality eating him up with my eyes. He wasn't the most attractive man, but he was damn sexy and sometimes I think he was well aware of that.

"I expect two parchments by tomorrow. Class is dismissed."

I sat on my stool while the rest of the class emptied out into the dungeons, packing my books into my bag slowly. Once the classroom was empty and he was seated at his desk, I gathered my things and approached him. He watched me carefully as a slight red tint crawled across my cheeks, and smirked at my uneasiness. I cleared my throat nervously, trying to find words to speak.

"Miss... Mae, is it? Unless you are here to purposefully waste my time, I'd suggest you speak whatever it is you wish to say, and do it quickly..."

I bit my lip and opened my bag with a shaky hand, pulling out an old, musty book. His eyes darted to it instantly, and he returned his gaze to me. A look of shock.

"How did you obtain this?"

"I apologize Professor Snape... I was hoping you could give me some assistance..."

Snape snatched the book from my hands instantly and stroked its spine gently with his bony fingers. He flipped through a few pages, checking for something that I wasn't sure of. He spoke once more without taking his eyes from the book.

"I asked you a question, Miss Mae and you will do well to answer it. _How _did you obtain this?"

"I... I got special permission from Professor Binns, sir. I got it from the restricted section for a bit of personal study."

"Personal study? Have you any idea how dangerous a tome like this can be? I presume you know nothing of it's magic."

I shuffled my feet and pulled another item from my bag. It was a pendant of the pentagram and was supported by a long silver chain that clasped in the back by a claw hook.

"On the contrary, sir, I know quite a bit. I have been studying magic of its kind for about a year now, but I've yet to perform any of its rituals-"

"Come with me."

My mouth hung open in mid sentence as he had interrupted me, and I found myself being dragged through two stone-cold rooms into Severus' office. With the book still tightly gripped in one hand, he slammed the door and cast a silencing charm about the room. Part of me had hoped I hadn't just made a big mistake, but it was unlikely that Snape would take house points from his own house. He put his wand somewhere in his robes and glanced over at me. He seemed at a loss for words for once, and simply pointed to a plush green chair in the corner.

"Sit. Now."

I obeyed and took my seat, waiting for him to completely lay into me. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to forget the note from Professor Binns...

"Sir, please, if you'd let me explai-"

"You will have ample time to explain, Miss Mae."

He stood in front of my chair and flipped through the book once more, the spine of the tome making tiny cracking noises as he turned its pages. He lifted an eyebrow as a piece of paper fell from the book. I glanced at it and blushed. It had been a passage I had copied to refer to later. Severus glanced at me with an evil gleam in his eye.

"Pick it up."

I leaned over, dreading what was to come next, and picked up the paper.

"Now," his voice was quiet as usual, deep and smooth as it had been earlier during class, "read it."

I felt my ears grow hot and my stomach became queasy. I felt enough embarrassment to just keel over and die. He got pleasure from doing things like this, from humiliating his students. My voice came out hoarse at first, but I cleared my throat and read.

"To compel one dance completely naked. On Eve of St. John the Baptist, gather at midnight, three walnut leaves, three sweet marjoram plants, three myrtle plants, and three vervain plants. Dry it all in the shade, and make it into a powder. When you want to make use of the powder, throw some like a small pinch of tobacco into the air of the room where there are the people whom you wish to enjoy." (_Taken from the Grand Grimoire)_

I fell silent and hung my head until my long blonde hair slid in front of my face. My heart was pounding wildly in my chest and the room itself seemed deadly quiet, save for my nervous breathing. After a time Snape snatched the paper from my hands and looked it over front to back. I stole a peek through my hair just in time to see the little heart with Snape's name in it on the back of the paper.

"I dare hope you hadn't intended on... performing this."

He said the last two words slowly and carefully, as if speaking some sort of warning. I shook my head violently and then mustered the courage to look back up at him again.

"Of course not, professor. I wouldn't dare. Besides, I have no access to those particular ingredients."

He looked at the Snape heart doodle one last time before crumbling the paper into a ball and throwing it into the hearth, where he drew his wand and lit a fire.

"As you should not, Miss Mae. I hope you realize the consequences of using such magic. You're quite lucky you haven't been caught with this. This shall stay with me."

He tossed the book onto his desk and went to sit behind it.

"You may go."

"But professor!"

I jumped up out of my chair and approached his desk. There was no way I was leaving that book behind. He glared dangerously at me as if I had invaded his very personal space, so I backed off a bit.

"You. May. Go. Not another word."

"Professor, don't you want to know what my intentions were with that book? My real intentions? It is why I came to you, after all. I have a hard time believing that you took my excuse as it being personal study."

"Miss Mae, if you do not leave my office this instant you will be serving detention with Mister Filch for the rest of the year!"

"I need your help! I want you to teach me how to use it properly! I will learn it either way. I want you guide me rather than make an irreversible mistake on my own. Please, Professor. I have the permission note from Professor Binns for me to have that book in my possession. I also have top marks in all of my classes, and I'd like to think I'm your best student. _Please_, Professor."

Severus rested his head in his hand out of frustration, and didn't speak for some time. Finally hanging my head in defeat, I made my way to the door. I had enough notes to guide myself anyway, and now I had a better reason than ever to use that last spell I had just read aloud to Snape. Before my hand touched the door handle, I heard Snape stand.

"Since you have felt the need to state your case so valiantly, I will consider overseeing your use of this book _only_ if I receive a note stating permission from the headmaster and the original permission note from Professor Binns. You may consider yourself lucky, Miss Mae, for catching me in a forgiving mood."

I smiled as my brown eyes glistened and my heart leap into my throat. The note from Professor Binns would be easy since I already had that. I'm sure convincing Dumbledore would be quite easy, as I would be studying the book under a teacher.

"Thank you Professor! I'll have both notes for you as soon as possible!"

"One more thing, Miss Mae. You will refrain from making any mention of this to your classmates."

I resisted the urge to hug him, and left his office in a hurry to get to the common room.

OooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooO

I stood in front of the large gargoyle statue that lead to Dumbledore's office. I had been attempting to rehearse a well thought out story as to why he should sign this note for me, but I knew I'd just forget it all once I was confronted with the situation. Luckily, Professor McGonagall just happened to be passing by and she knew the password. She noticed that I had been standing in front of the gargoyle for some time and came over.

"Good afternoon, Miss Mae. May I assist you with something?"

"Yes, Professor. I need to see Dumbledore."

"Why so?"

"Well, I'm going to be... um... learning Occulmency with Professor Snape, and he wanted me to get a letter of approval from Dumbledore before we got started."

McGonagall looked slightly suspicious as she always did with the students.

"Surely Professor Snape could have gone to Dumbledore himself?"

She was going to be difficult, but I couldn't reveal the true reason as to why I needed to see the headmaster.

"Professor Snape actually sent me personally, professor. He's looking for an answer tonight before curfew."

McGonagall lifted an eyebrow and turned to the gargoyle statue.

"Sherbet Lemon!"

Extending her hands in front of her, she watched as the gargoyle twisted around to reveal a set of spiraling stairs. Before she turned to leave, she gave me one last warning glance.

"Now Miss Mae, I know you are a good student so I trust you won't be getting into any trouble."

"Of course not, Professor. Thank you, and good evening."

"Good evening."

I made my way up onto the staircase and was surprised as it began to move slowly, spiraling up into the castle. Once it had made a full turn, I found myself standing at the doorway of Dumbledore's office. Before I got the chance to knock, the doors swung open to reveal a smiling ancient wizard.

"Ah, good evening! You wished to see me?"

I was at a loss for words for a moment, wondering how Dumbledore could have possibly known I was coming, but managed to bring myself back.

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore. I have a favor to ask."

The old wizard moved aside and gestured for me to enter his office, then shut the doors. I looked around as I had never been in this part of the castle before. Dumbledore's office was nothing short of amazing. The ceiling was high and there were books everywhere. I noticed the sorting hat sitting atop a rather high bookshelf behind his desk. It seemed to be snoozing. Over by another staircase that must have led to his personal quarters was a beautiful red bird. Above his desk was a hanging golden contraption - possibly the planets.

"He's a Phoenix, a grand creature. His tears have healing powers, and he's a very loyal companion."

I had begun to wonder if Dumbledore had mind reading abilities, for I had been looking at the bird again. I walked over beside Dumbledore and smiled at the bird. He was gorgeous.

"What's his name, sir?"

"Fawkes."

He lifted a finger and the bird pecked it lovingly. They were a very wonderful sight together. Dumbledore then made his way around to his desk and sat in his high backed chair. He held up a golden bowl.

"Care for a toffee? Wonderful things muggles come up with. One of my personal favorites."

"No thank you, sir. I actually had a question to ask you. A favor, rather, if you'd be so kind."

Dumbledore lifted his chin slightly and folded his hands into his lap to show he was paying attention.

"I was wondering, sir, if I could have written permission to learn a bit of... restricted magic with Professor Snape."

"Restricted magic is forbidden to students. Surely you were aware of that."

"Yes, I am, but I did get permission from Professor Binns to take a book out from the Restricted Section, and I wanted to learn a bit of the magic in it just in case You-Know-Who comes back."

"May I ask the title of this book?"

"It's... The _Grand Grimoire_. But I assure you that I would only use it for defense in the most dire circumstances. I mean, I may be in Slytherin, but that doesn't mean I'm not to be trusted with old dark magic. I've done wonderful in all of my other studies, and I've gotten top marks on everything I've done this year so far-"

Dumbledore held up a hand to stop my rambling.

"I will be sure to send permission to Professor Snape. I trust he will teach you to use it well."

"Thank you, Professor!"

"A warning, however."

My smile dropped from my face as I saw Dumbledore become very serious. His voice became low and very quiet, almost too quiet, so I had to lean in slightly to hear his words.

"Many good wizards have experimented with old black magic, but haven't lived to tell the tale or were driven mad. I ask your word that you will be careful, and show utmost respect to whatever you encounter."

I swallowed hard and nodded, then realized a verbal confirmation would sit better.

"I promise, sir. Professor Snape won't let anything bad happen to me."

The usual friendly twinkle returned to the old wizard's eyes and he leaned back comfortably in his large chair.

"There was once a famous wizard who went to this very school, and I see much of him in you."

"Who do you mean, sir?"

"Good evening, Miss Mae."

He smiled and bid me farewell without answering my question, leaving me standing back in the corridor wondering. Hopefully he didn't mean Tom Riddle?


	2. Chapter 2

"I've my permission, and hopefully you've received Dumbledore's letter. I'd really like to get started as soon as possible."

"Eager to begin, aren't we?"

Despite it being a beautiful Saturday morning, the dungeons were as dark and cold as ever. I stood in front of Snape's desk with my bag containing all of my materials in it, prepared to start my first lesson.

"Definitely! I've already read the _Grand Grimoire_ all the way through, plus I did some studying over last summer break in the shops in Knockturn Alley..."

Perhaps I'd spoken too much. Knockturn Alley was the polar opposite of Diagon Alley. It was notorious for its dark magic shops and its shady customers. It could be most comparable to a dark alley in a shabby part of a muggle town. Definitely not somewhere you'd want to end up just out of happenstance.

"Knockturn Alley is the last place you should be studying, stupid girl."

"But it's one of the few places in the wizarding world one can obtain things for black magical workings."

"Don't make me regret this, Miss Mae. I am doing this of my own free will and can quit these lessons if I see fit. I'd rather not be responsible for a new Deatheater walking the grounds."

"Sir, all due respect, but do you honestly see me as a Deatheater? I'm just curious... and I want to learn these things so I know how to counteract them if You-Know-Who comes back."

"He isn't coming back... He was destroyed during the last wizard war."

"How can anyone know that for certain? He was quite powerful, and there have been rumors."

Snape rose from his office chair and backed me against a wall, slamming his hand against the stone beside my head. I blushed a deep scarlet and tried not to look at him in the face. He seemed angry.

"The Dark Lord is not coming back. Do not argue this with me, unless you prefer we forgo these little lessons."

He was so close that my mind turned to mush. Sometimes I wished he didn't have this power over me, how he had to do so little to do so much. It was at times like this that I wished I wasn't a student. On the other hand, it was enough knowing we were going to have these private little lessons in his office every weekend. It felt very intimate even though it was purely professional. I knew Snape would be completely against a teacher dating a student, so I never bothered to make any advances. No matter how convincing I thought I could be, I'd just end up on the train back home. I must have been thinking to myself for a while, because I noticed Snape had already backed off and was sitting behind his desk once more. It was no mystery, he had to know that I liked him. Maybe he was doing all this because he knew it would torture me.

"I would very much like to get this over with. If you're done with your little daydream you may take a seat."

I snapped back to reality and sat in the same green chair I occupied the night before.

"Of course, sorry Professor. Are we going to be covering all forms of old magic? I'm very curious about it."

"Most magic in this Grimoire is very ancient so in a sense, yes, we will be covering most forms of old magic."

"Will we be using any of it?"

"It is against my better judgment, but yes, we will be experimenting, but experimenting _only_. I'd rather not have the death of a student on my hands."

I pulled out the pendant I had shown him yesterday after class and put it on. He looked at me strangely as I held the pentagram in my hand.

"Resulting to muggle superstitions?"

"Not at all. I just feel more in sync with the darker side of things. I know for a fact that pendants mean nothing alone, but they can be given power and can even protect the wearer. A pendant means as much to a witch or wizard as they want it to. This pendant in particular, as I've said, is my connection to the darker side and is like a friend to me; a friend in the dark more so. I feel it protects me."

In a matter of seconds following my statement, I saw Severus raise his wand and point it in my direction.

"_Incendio_!"

My face went pale as I sunk back into the chair as far as I could, gripping the arms as I felt the heat from the fire that had formed from Snape's wand. There was now a fire in the hearth that was crackling lively, and Snape had casually placed his wand back into his robes. The flames had missed my hair by only a few inches.

"If I am to take you seriously you had best put aside your muggle superstitions."

"That could've _fried_ me! Are you insane?!"

"I believe the one who is insane here is the one utilizing muggle artifacts for protection."

"Alright, but humor me. It's more for the symbolism."

OoooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooO

The lesson had finally gotten underway, and I found myself mesmerized with every word that Severus spoke. He knew much about old magic, not to mention the dark arts, which had me wondering as to why Dumbledore never gave him the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. One would think Snape had been around since magic was first utilized.

"As for demons... They're rather dangerous creatures that we will be avoiding."

"Wait, avoiding? That's the part that intrigued me the most. You know, evocation and invocation."

"Very few dark wizards practice invocation and evocation of demons. You'd be a fool to want to do such a thing."

I opened up a notebook that I had scribbled some notes in a while back and turned to a certain page. It was titled 'Demonology' and contained information about various demons. Severus snatched it from my hands once he saw the title and read over it. He seemed to enjoy doing that.

"This is all fine for study, but nothing more."

He tossed it into my lap and picked up the _Grand Grimoire_.

"I will return this to you under the condition that you use it for academic purposes. If I find anything missing in my ingredients cabinet tomorrow you can start packing your bags."

I took the book and stuffed it into my bag, fearful that Snape would rethink his decision and snatch it away again. Snape walked around to his desk and removed the silencing charm from the room. I took this as my cue to leave. I gathered my things and bid good afternoon to my Professor, then walked out into the dungeon corridors.

OoooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooO

The sky was starting to become pink and orange and I could see the reflection of it on the water's edge. I had been sitting under a tree outside for some time taking notes and daydreaming. I saw a few girls wandering up to the castle and figured it was time for supper in the Great Hall. I gathered my things quickly and stood, making my way up the hill to the courtyard. As I was lost in my thoughts, I nearly bumped into a very large man on the trail. How anyone could have missed him was beyond me, but I suppose I was too gone at that moment to realize.

"Alrigh' there?"

"Yes, goodness, sorry Hagrid. I must've been daydreaming again."

"Well, run along now. Don' want yeh to get caught after sunset on the grounds."

"Yes, neither do I. Professor Snape would be pretty angry with me."

Hagrid wiped his hands on his shirt, which seemed to be a bit dirty from work, and set a hand on my back to usher me forward.

"I'm on me way back up to the school as well. We can walk together if you'd like."

I smiled at the friendly giant and walked beside him as we made our way into the courtyard. For some reason at that moment I felt an urge to ask Hagrid about Snape. After all, Hagrid had been around longer than Snape at Hogwarts, so he had to know something.

"Hey Hagrid, can I ask you something about Professor Snape?"

"What do yeh wanna know?"

"Is there a reason Dumbledore keeps him from the Defense Against the Dark Arts position? He seems to be very well suited for the job."

Hagrid stopped and looked a bit uncomfortable. He looked down and then to the side, and then started walking again slowly.

"No reason in particular."

"Come on, Hagrid. I know you're hiding something."

The giant stopped again and looked around, then ducked low so I could hear him talk more softly.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt yeh to know now... Seeing as the war's over an' all... Now don' let this change your opinion of him."

"I won't, I promise. How bad could it be?"

Hagrid took in a deep breath and looked around again.

"Snape was in league with You-Know-Who way back in the day. Changed to Dumbledore's side ands' been loyal ever since. Actually helped bring down You-Know-Who in the last war."

Snape was a Deatheater? My head spun. No wonder he knew so much about the dark arts and how to use them. He probably knew more about black magic than anyone at Hogwarts. I wasn't bothered by anything Hagrid had just told me, though. If anything, it intrigued me. We reached the front doors of the school finally and Hagrid opened the big doors.

"Yeh sure you're okay with knowin' that? I didn' say anythin' wrong, did I?"

"No, you're alright, Hagrid. It was a bit of a surprise, but it didn't change my opinion of him."

Hagrid shut the doors behind us and we made our way through the corridor to the Great Hall.

"Tha's good ter hear. But don't go 'round tellin' everyone what I told yeh. The ones that know keep it quiet. Not like it really matters anymore."

"I guess you're right. Although, I'm really surprised Dumbledore trusted him, you know, being a Deatheater and all."

I hadn't noticed the footsteps behind Hagrid and I as we approached the Great Hall. They stopped abruptly and a dark voice echoed off the walls.

"Interesting... I could've sworn someone was saying things they really shouldn't be. Especially to students..."

Hagrid froze and I turned around quickly to meet Snape's gaze.

"No need to start rumors, Hagrid. We wouldn't want this to reach Dumbledore..."

With his robes billowing behind him, Snape turned and walked down a side corridor to the teacher's entrance into the great Hall. Hagrid and I exchanged nervous glances and decided not to speak anymore of it, and entered the great hall to fill our now very nervous stomachs.

OoooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooO

It was Sunday afternoon and I sat in the great Hall eating lunch. I hadn't bothered to go see Snape this morning because of what happened last night. Part of me wanted to visit Hagrid because I felt like it was all my fault. I'm the one who asked, and now Hagrid might be in trouble. A few Slytherin girls noticed my melancholy and tried to cheer me up, but I wasn't much for being cheered up at the moment. I ate a few more bites of my sandwich and stood, gathering my bag. Everyone thought it a bit strange that I always had study materials with me, but little did they know I was actually studying forbidden dark magic with Snape on the weekends. That little thought seemed to brighten my mood a bit, and I decided to go see Hagrid.

I had no sooner than exited the Great Hall when a tall black shadow crossed my path. Not a shadow, a man. It was Snape.

"Hello, Professor."

"Come with me."

I swallowed a lump in my throat as I followed him into the dungeons and into his office. He shut the door, casting a silencing charm upon the room as always, then turned to me.

"So, feeling the need to check my references?"

He was going on about last night. I'd hoped he would've forgotten the whole thing, but I suppose it's not something he was too keen on his students catching wind of.

"Not at all, sir. I was just sort of curious, that's all. Hagrid's got nothing to do with it, I asked. I sort of pressured him to tell me. Please don't be angry with him."

"That big oaf is the last of my worries. I suppose you're... curious."

"Curious? Sort of, but I mean no disrespect Professor. It's solely your business, I won't say a word. I don't hate you for it or anything."

I was surprised when Snape unclasped the buttons on his sleeve and pulled it up to his elbow. He twisted his arm around to reveal a fading dark green tattoo of a skull with a snake slithering through its mouth. I noticed that it was faded, as it was starting to blend into his skin. It must have been darker around the time You-Know-Who was alive. I involuntarily reached out and slid a finger across it, curious to see if it would move. Snape jerked his arm away and slid his sleeve back down.

"If you wish to discontinue your lessons with me I would understand."

"No! Of course not! This doesn't change anything, Professor. I know the real you, and I know you're no longer on that side. Dumbledore wouldn't let you teach here if he had suspicions about you. I wish to continue."

Snape looked me over for some time, most likely to make sure I wasn't just saying that in an attempt to be polite and then make a run for it. After a few minutes he turned and stood by the fireplace in his office, lighting a fire. I watched curiously as I observed the way the shadows played upon the side of his face in the dimly lit room. It was a moment I would have liked to capture in a drawing or painting, for the look on his face showed a brief moment of pain. I could only imagine the torment in his black eyes and the emotional scars from being a Deatheater (hopefully there weren't physical scars besides the tattoo). It was very unlike him to show this moment of weakness, and I felt honored in a way that he had dropped his defenses, even if only for a moment, in my presence. I approached him carefully and looked into his eyes.

"Professor, I'm really sorry."

"Miss Mae, we've already been over this-"

"No, not for that. For your pain. I know you must be hurting inside still. I could only imagine the terrible life you led as a Deatheater. It must have been hard, I'm sure you had to watch people die that you really cared for."

Anger seemed to flood into Snape's eyes as he looked at me. Perhaps I'd hit a painful memory for him.

"We will be discussing this no longer, Miss Mae. It is of none of your concern. I will be teaching you nothing this afternoon, you may go."

I went to reach out to take his hand, to let him know it was all okay, but I thought better of it and felt my heart leap into my throat. I almost felt as if I would cry. I had hurt him without meaning to. How stupid could I be. I always seemed to hurt the ones I loved.

"Professor... I apologize if I've hurt you in any way. I was just trying to let you know that you don't have to be afraid to be sad in front of me. I wouldn't tell a soul and I'd... I'd be here for you in a way no one else could. I've also had a painful past, and I would be willing to confide in you about it and I'd hope in return you could confide in me with your secrets. I realize I'm only a student, and that it's probably very strange that I'm telling you all this, but it's how I really feel."

Shit. I practically made a love confession to Professor Snape. Hopefully he wouldn't catch that bit and just yell at me for being overly mushy and feeble-minded. Heat crept up to my ears and I looked down at the dungeon floor. I heard him move across the room and when I looked up he was opening a cabinet behind his desk. He pulled out a clear bottle with an amber colored liquid in it. I had an idea what it was.

"That will not be necessary. It seems you have trouble listening the first time, and I am getting tired of repeating myself. Return to your common room or I shall sign you up for a detention with Filch."

I sighed and walked over to the office door as Snape removed the silencing charms. As I opened the door, I took my time walking through the arch into the corridor, and shut the door quietly. I knew it was still high noon even though there weren't any windows in the dungeons, and I was sure that it was another warm and beautiful day outside. I didn't feel much like going to the lake to study alone today, and I felt more comfortable in the cold, dark dungeons right now anyway. Hopefully Snape wouldn't revoke my private lessons as they had barely just begun. I figured it would be best if I just went back to the dormitory and took a small nap.


	3. Chapter 3

_I found myself walking through the school library late at night, and I noticed that I wasn't alone. An eerie green mist surrounded the room and a boy of my age stepped into view from nowhere. He was tall, had short brown hair, and was pale and thin. He was wearing a Slytherin uniform without the robes, and seemed to hold an air of high confidence. He approached me and leaned against a book shelf, examining its contents, not seeming to realize that I was there. I finally found my voice and drew his attention._

"_Um, excuse me... who are you?"_

_The boy looked at me seriously and walked closer until I could make out his face more clearly in the dark. When he spoke, he had a malevolent tone to his voice._

"_My name is Tom Riddle. I used to be a student here."_

_I gasped and covered my mouth. I had heard of him before. He was a young Voldemort, and he was here, speaking with me. Fear tugged at me relentlessly as I wondered why he would seek me out. Either that, or I had eaten one too many cauldron cakes before I passed out. I gathered my courage and watched as his lips curved into a smile._

"_You fear me. You have no reason to, however. I am not going to harm you. I just wish to speak about a book that you have."_

"_The Grand Grimoire. What about it?"_

"_You're using it, are you not? Have you tried any of its spells?"_

"_No... No I haven't. Not yet. Professor Snape is going to help me experiment with a few of the less dangerous ones."_

_Tom backed away and beckoned for me to follow him deeper into the library. I followed him out of curiosity, and found that he was leading us into the restricted section. We walked farther and farther back into the room, and I noticed the books getting dustier as we went, cobwebs becoming more plentiful on the shelves. Once we reached the back wall, I saw Tom go behind the last book cabinet and hold his hand above the cabinet lock. I heard it click to signal it was opened, and watched as the glass doors creaked as they swung aside. Dust gathered in the air but for some reason it didn't make me sneeze or blink. When it cleared, I saw Tom holding an old black book that was a bit tattered and worn. Its binding was of real leather, and it stunk like musty old paper. He dropped it into my hands and I looked at the cover. There was a thin metal chain wrapped around the outside of the book with a strange lock in the middle. It was circular and had five silver buttons that were beginning to rust. I tried to push them, move them, slide them around. I tried Alohamora but the lock still remained closed tight. Once Tom saw that I was frustrated enough with the lock, he stepped closer and whispered something in what sounded like Parseltongue. The five buttons each slid diagonally from each other and the chain fell to the floor with a mild clank. Tom stepped back again and looked into my eyes._

"_Open it."_

_I read the title more clearly now as the lock was no longer covering it. It read: Grimoirum Verum. It was another ancient Grimoire, that much was apparent, but why had Tom led me to this one? I opened the book and a moldy smell rushed up into my senses. I loved the scent of old books, but this one smelt like a mixture of strong Jasmine incense and rotting leather. I looked through the contents and saw that it was very similar to the Grand Grimoire, but the only difference was that it had many more spells and instructions on how to raise the dead. Excitement shot through my body like adrenaline, and I looked up at Tom. He was waiting patiently for me to finish observing the old tome._

"_Tom, this is wonderful! But why show me this? Why would you want to help me of all people? I'm just an average student merely curious with the old ways."_

"_This Grimoire can help you much more than the other one can. As you've seen, it contains more complex spells than the last, and even more dangerous magic."_

"_Did you use it when you were here?"_

"_I read of it but never found it. I only recently heard that it was here at Hogwarts."_

"_Recently? But you were-"_

"_Destroyed, yes."_

_His voice was almost a growl and he was visibly angry at his last words. _

"_So, what do you mean by recently?"_

"_I still have my connections with my former followers, and I speak to them through their dreams. One of them told me about the book and I decided to look for it myself. I took control of the librarian and led her to the restricted section, here, and used her knowledge to search for the book. She had a terribly weak mind."_

"_So why are you interested in it? You can't do anything with it now, can you?"_

"_I cannot, which is why I led you to it. Your interest in old black magic is what drew me to you. Not many dabble with it out of fear, but you showed curiosity where others would have fled. I need your help."_

_I backed away with the book held tightly in my hands. This was turning into a nightmare. Tom Riddle had sought me out to help him back to power, most likely. That's why he led me to a book containing ancient necromantic rituals. He wants me to raise him from the dead. I shook my head and backed up against a wall. _

"_I can't help you, Tom. I'm surprised I'm even having a conversation with you at this moment. I should have run."_

"_But you didn't. Your curiosity gets the better of you every time. That's your weakness, the unknown and the forbidden. I could help you in return. I wouldn't leave you empty handed."_

"_How would you possibly help me?"_

"_I already have, by leading you to this book. When you wake up, it will be in your hands. It will help you with many things... Even your secret desires."_

_I blushed and looked away._

"_What do you mean, secret desires?"_

"_I know you're in love with that traitor Severus Snape. You would do anything to make him notice you. This book can do that. I can help you accomplish this if you use this tome correctly."_

_My heart beat faster and I looked at the book in my hands. With magic this powerful, and with the assistance of an equally powerful spirit like Tom Riddle, I could have him. I could have my beloved Potions Professor. Our age barrier and status would no longer be in the way, and I could be happy beyond belief. But only if..._

"_Wait... I only get this if I help you out first, right? What do you want me to do?"_

"_I want you to use the magic in this book and study it until you are proficient. I want you to spend every free moment getting familiar with these texts. With my assistance, I want you to help me come back."_

_I shook my head and dropped the book. I had almost let my hopeless romantic fantasies rule me again. I couldn't let that blind me. I'd rather continue to be Snape's top student and love him from afar rather than be known for bringing back the wizarding world's biggest threat. I had to keep my head on straight._

"_No, Tom. I can't do this. I don't want you to tempt me anymore because it won't work. I'd rather just go on with the way things are now and leave all this be."_

_Tom scowled and picked up the book. He rushed over to me and pressed it against my chest. I kept my arms at my sides, refusing to touch the dreaded tome. As much as I wanted to read it and know its magic, I'd rather be without and continue to live a life without this weight on my shoulders. There were other ways I could tempt Snape, even if they weren't permanent. I didn't need Tom and his false promises._

"_You __**will**__ take the book. When you awaken, it will be beside you. You won't be able to resist its power. Every time you look at it you will feel the pull, and you will use it when you can no longer hold back. It's a cursed tome, and it can't be destroyed. From the moment you awaken it will be a part of you. You will help me."_

_I screamed in frustration, trying to push Tom away but my hands only went through him. The book pressed ever harder against my chest, and it seemed like a giant weight upon my lungs. It became harder to breathe, and I started coughing._

OoooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooO

I awoke with a start and sat up in my bed. I noticed something heavy fall onto my legs, and the weight I had felt on my chest was gone. I looked down and saw the dreaded book in my lap. I stared at it for some time, trying to make sense of it all. I knew it was only a dream, but it seemd the dream itself was more real that I had initially thought. I looked to a small black box on my nightstand.

"What time is it, please?"

It spoke up in a squeaky female voice.

"5:45 in the afternoon. Dinner at 6!"

I had been sleeping for nearly four hours. I looked down at the book in my lap, thought about shoving it in my trunk and leaving it there, but decided that it was too risky so I threw it in my bag. At least it would be with me so no one else could find it and mess with it. I would tell Professor Snape about my dream after dinner, but for now I needed to eat even though I felt slightly ill from so many cauldron cakes before my nap.

OoooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOOoooooO 

All through dinner I felt an odd tingling in my hands every time I thought of my dream. It was as if the book had some strange power over me, calling to me in a way that I knew I couldn't resist. I knew the book was bad news, but since I had it there was no harm in just looking at it. I sneaked out of the Great Hall early and made my way to the dungeons and stopped before Snape's office. I wanted to tell him about my dream and the book. I knew he could help me and possibly free me from its curse, but part of me wanted to see what it was all about before I decided to ditch it completely. With no other thought able to sway what I'd already decided, I passed his office and went straight to the girl's dormitory in the Slytherin common room. Everyone was still at dinner in the Great Hall, so I had plenty of time to look through the book before anyone got back to go to sleep.

I pulled the old book from my bag, the tome smelling just as horrid and mysterious as it had in my dream. As soon as I opened it I felt the rush of excitement in my chest once more, as if I had experienced the book for the first time again like I had in my dream. The title page alone drew me in:

_**Grimoirium Verum**_

_or_

_The True Grimoire_

_The Most Approved Keys_

_of_

_Solomon, The Hebrew Rabbi_

_Wherein The Most Hidden Secrets,_

_Both Natural and Supernatural_

_Are Immediately Exhibited._

_Modo operator per necessaria et contenta_

_facit scia tamen oportit Daemonum_

_potentia dum taxat per agantur._

_Translated from the Hebrew_

_by_

_Plangiere,_

_Jesuit Dominicane_

_with a Curious collection of Rare and Astounding Magical Secrets._

_Edited, With A Preface By_

_James Banner, Gent._

_Originally Published By_

_Alibeck The AEgyptian_

_at Memphis_

_1517._

I continued to flip through the book a bit more, finding many complex looking sigils and what looked to be demonic signatures. There was a lot of information on demons in this one, especially delving into the types and who they were under. I took out a notebook from my bag and proceeded to copy down a few of the sigils with their corresponding demonic names below them. I'd be sure to ask Professor Snape about them later, without letting on that I have this book of course. After copying those, I saw a rather large section on demonic conjuration. It was too much to note down, so I just scribbled a few key words on paper to refer to later, such as page numbers and paragraphs. Then I saw it, the one spell that tugged at me the most. A powerful love spell to make one come to you. It was written for a woman, but I was sure it'd be equally as effective on a man. I would need no special ingredients, and all I needed was the right moon and day. I didn't want to wait, I wanted to test it out now. I scrambled for my rolls of parchment and a quill, then set to work drawing out the signs and stating the conjuration out loud three times (as instructed) in the empty room. It may not be as powerful as it would have been if done on the right night, but if it did even a little something I was afraid I'd never be able to put the book down.

I finished all the preparations and after burning the parchment slightly with a candle, I hid it with the conjuration spell on it as directed. I looked at the time and realized that I could hear idle chatter in the common room below. They were all back from dinner and preparing for an early bed time or working on homework. I had finished my work that afternoon, and had already napped, so I was wide awake. I fought with the urge to run down to Professor Snape's office in hopes of an early result from my spell, but thought it better to wait until the spell reached full maturity to test its effects. Tomorrow was Monday and I had double potions with the Gryffindors as my last class. I would have to be patient until then.


	4. Chapter 4

I barely concentrated throughout my day and found it hard to take in anything of what my teachers had lectured. One was worried I was ill and tired, another thought I had a stomach ache because I was so antsy and couldn't sit still during class (this was Professor Binn's Magic History class, usually my favorite). When it was time for me to go to Potions, I almost chickened out and skipped class. I thought about actually faking a bad headache and went to sneak back to the Slytherin dormitory. No sooner had I made my decision I was interrupted by a group of Slytherin girls, one of them being a close friend of mine, Genevieve. They wanted to walk to class together, and when I realized I just couldn't get out of what I had set in motion, I nervously walked to the Potions classroom with them. It seemed the book had more in store for me than I had imagined, and was more powerful than I had originally feared. Nothing would get in the way of the spell I had concocted, and I just decided to accept my fate.

I sat in the back of the classroom instead of the front today, hoping that Snape wouldn't catch my eye. I didn't know why I was avoiding him so much, I was the one that wanted the spell to work. I knew it was my nerves, my worries that he would suspect something, or that he would have somehow 'detected' something invading his personal space. I jumped as I heard the classroom doors open and a great mass of black robes strode in. He didn't seem to act any different as he turned dramatically and faced the class, asking for the homework he had assigned on Friday. I pulled out my essay on Deadly Nightshade and made my way up to the line of students handing in their work. When it was my turn to hand in my parchment, I glanced up at him and saw that he was staring at me strangely. He seemed to suspect something; I knew that look in his eyes. I swallowed hard as we stood in that awkward silence a bit too long, and then broke away from his gaze and returned to my seat in the back of the classroom. Maybe I shouldn't have done the spell.

Class droned on as usual; nothing changed except my usual seat that I took up front. I started to feel a bit better near the end of it all, figuring that he was just being overly critical and suspicious of me, hoping to scare me or something. He hadn't so much as glanced at me all throughout class, so I just figured the spell was a fluke and I'd write it off as a loss. No sense in crying over spilled milk. Maybe my personal doubts about myself and my ability to handle the dark arts was what was holding me back from it.

"Class is dismissed. Miss Mae, you will remain."

My face lit up like a light bulb, the heat burning my ears. He had no reason to ask for me to stay behind. So maybe he did know what I had done. I watched the rest of the class file out of the classroom as I awaited my doom. He'd probably take away my copy of the _Grand Grimoire_ and quit our lessons on the weekends. Then he'd probably report me to Dumbledore for abusing magic, let alone using black magic to obtain personal gain. I already imagined myself packing my bags for the train home.

The class had finally emptied and I sat staring at the table before me. I studied its faded wooden textures and noted every little fray and splinter at the edges. I had gotten so lost in the concentration that I hadn't noticed the sound of footsteps walking past me to shut the large wooden doors, then they made their way back to me.

"Come with me."

I stood reluctantly and grabbed my bag, then followed Snape into his office. He cast a silencing charm about the room and locked the door behind us as he usually did during one of our lessons. I was sure then that I was in for it. I stood in the middle of the room staring at the floor while I waited for Snape to speak. After a moment of silence I looked up and saw him standing before me, just far enough to keep a distance. He looked angry, as if he was fighting with something internally.

"Explain yourself."

I stuttered a few times, paused, then settled for being silent once more. There were no words I could express at that moment from fear. He waited patiently for my explanation, and in time I had finally found the fragmented words.

"I'm so sorry, Professor. I had no right, I will relinquish all my materials on the subject at once and hand them over to you. I just ask you don't send me home. I really like it here, Hogwarts is like a second home to me."

He walked closer to me until the space was closed between us, so I backed away slowly, attempting to create more space, but I found myself stopped against his desk. At this moment I wished I was a ghost, at least I could go through the obstacle and get away. I looked down and attempted to ignore him, worrying that he was going to resort to something terrible. I had never been in this much trouble before; for all I knew Snape had lost his temper completely and was going to hit me. I had done something to him that was most personal and disrespectful after all, not to mention embarrassing. I closed my eyes and waited for impact. I felt him grab my chin and jerk my face around, then I lost all sense and my legs turned to goo. His lips pressed against mine without hesitation, and he leaned into me as he set his hands on either side of me on his desk, forcing me to lean backwards. The spell had worked, and here I was snogging my Potions Professor in his office after class. Either that or this was just another crazy dream from eating before bed. If it was a dream, I didn't want it to end. I pushed my mouth harder against his, taking full advantage of my success. The kiss became deeper and more heated as I took in the sensations, the feeling of his body pressed so tightly against mine, the taste of him, the feeling of bliss that I let myself drown in completely as I felt his lips pull away. I opened my eyes lazily and found it was hard to breath normally. His mouth found my ear and brushed it slightly, then speaking softly in that deep voice that made me melt so many times before, he gave me a word of warning.

"Leave. Now."

Cold air hit me uncomfortably as he pulled himself away from me and exited his office through a side door, most likely to his personal quarters. I stood frozen for a moment, still burning from the kiss that refused to leave my lips. I then realized how much my lower back was hurting from leaning over his desk and stood straight, cringing at the ache that worsened as I straightened out my body. My mind was swimming, unsure of how to take what had just happened. A smiled forced its way across my face and I managed to find the energy to move from where I was standing. My feet kept moving of their own accord, leading me out of his office and into the Slytherin Dormitory where I ascended the steps to the girl's dorm and dropped down onto my bed without removing my robes or my bag. I sighed loudly before I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep for the first time in a while.

OoooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooO

I awoke after feeling my body shaking from side to side forcefully to find one of my classmates standing above me. She was pushing me back and forth to get my attention.

"Sarah! Sarah wake up! You've overslept, it's past eleven!"

I jumped up in my bed and stared at the girl beside me. I instantly recognized her as Genevieve, a Slytherin the same year as myself. She was one of my best friends, and probably wondered why I hadn't walked to class with her that morning. I shook my head as I was still groggy, and looked over to my side as I felt something hard poking at my leg. It was my bag. I had fallen asleep without changing or putting things away. As the cloudiness in my tired brain cleared, I pieced together what happened last night. A light blush lit up my cheeks and I attempted to cover my face with my hair. I must have been exhausted after a day like that. Genevieve brushed my hair gently behind my ear and a smile crept across her face.

"Late night, huh? So, who is it then?"

"Who is it? What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, who's the lucky guy? I haven't seen you walking around with anyone. It must be a secret."

I shoved her away playfully and jumped out of bed to rummage through my trunk. What was I supposed to say? 'Oh, yeah, I totally snogged Professor Snape after class last night'. That wouldn't go over well at all. Genevieve liked the Professor, but I knew she wouldn't approve of me dabbling in black magic or student-teacher relationships. I pulled out a fresh set of robes and a clean uniform and began to change. I knew she was still standing there waiting for an answer. I felt bad because she had a right to know since she was my closest friend. We told each other everything, but so far I'd kept the black magic books and my lessons with Professor Snape private. Now I had one more thing to lie about.

"I'm sorry Genevieve, I really can't tell you. We don't want anyone to know yet."

She looked crestfallen at my words and seemed slightly offended.

"You can't tell _me_? I'm your best friend, we're practically sisters. I wouldn't tell a soul and you know that."

I finished dressing and closed my trunk, then grabbed my bag. If it was past eleven I had already missed Transfiguration with McGonagall. That would be easy to make up, as we'd been doing mostly reading and studying. I looked at my time keeper on the night stand and saw that I still had 30 minutes of free time before lunch in the Great Hall. I rounded the bed and put my arm around Genevieve, leading her with me downstairs.

"I'll tell you later once I get it all figured out. It's _really_ complicated."

Her face brightened as we exited through the portrait hole and she shrugged my arm off.

"A mystery man? How interesting, I'll have to keep a close eye on you to figure this one out."

Just what I needed, a damned stalker who was going to be nothing short of relentless in her quest to find out who I had spent time with last night. It's not that I didn't trust her to not keep my secret, I was just afraid at the realization that would hit me after actually voicing it.

We headed to the library so Genevieve could help me catch up on what I missed in Transfiguration. The rest of my day was loaded with classes, so I had to take advantage of the only free time I had that day. I was full of energy and managed to copy all of the notes from class that I had missed in about 15 minutes, leaving some time for idle chit chat and skimming through the various books on the shelves. The librarian became annoyed with us as we had doubled over in a silent giggling fit over some inside joke, and we were kicked out of the library since we had no more work to do. We both walked back to our table to grab our things and turned to leave, when I noticed a familiar figure walking towards us.

"Shit."

Genevieve looked at me in confusion as I uttered the curse word, and followed my line of sight.

"Are you in trouble?"

"Very much so. Miss Mae, if you'll follow me."

I felt my ears grow warm as I hung my head low and followed Professor Snape, leaving Genevieve standing in the middle of the library.

OoooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooO

I shuffled along behind Professor Snape into his dimly lit office in the dungeons, standing quietly as he slammed the door shut behind us and rounded the room to stand behind his desk. He leaned forward on his hands and glared in my direction.

"You have used forbidden magic without permission. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"... Sorry..."

It was the only thing I could mumble at that point, now certain I was here not for another makeout session, but for severe punishment. Could the spell have worn off so quickly? I had suspected it wouldn't be as strong since I hadn't done it on the right moon and it had been a bit rushed.

"Is that all? I'm afraid such a simple apology won't fix the situation you've created. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

I bit my lip and tried not to smile, a rather smart response coming to the forefront of my mind, but I pushed it away and managed a straight face.

"I didn't expect for it to work, Professor. I was just messing around..."

"Messing around with the dark arts is grounds for expulsion! You were not to practice any of the magic in that Grimoire unless it was under my guidance, let alone use it for your own foolish desires... Give it to me."

He held out a hand and waited for me to hand over the book. I dug through my bag and fished out the _Grand Grimoire_ and placed it in his hand, then watched it disappear into a side drawer in his desk. Thankfully I still had the _Grimoirum Verum_, which seemed to pull at me mentally as I imagined it in my mind. I shouldn't have used the book - now it was calling to me.

"The headmaster will hear about this and you will be packing your bags before dinner. I will _not_ stand for this kind of humiliation!"

Expelled! I was going to be expelled! I panicked and tried to think of a way out of it all, trying to think of some sort of excuse, then it came to me.

"Wait, Professor! I was tempted into doing it, it wasn't entirely my fault."

"Excuses will not save you-"

"It was Tom Riddle!"

The room grew so silent that a paper clip would have been heard being dropped on the stone floor. We both stood frozen in time without speaking, Snape seeming to be at a loss for words, a rare moment. I wondered for a minute rather he believed me or not, or if he was just trying to think of a much worse punishment for lying. I took the opportunity to elaborate.

"Sir, Tom Riddle came to me in a dream. It was very real, a very vivid dream where I had full control."

"... Lucid dreaming."

"Yes, that's exactly what it was. He addressed me personally, and told me that he had sought me out, that he needed my help. We were in the library and he showed me some ancient book. He told me he would help me if I helped him. I told him I wanted nothing to do with him, and when I woke up everything was gone, except, he... came to me once more and tempted me to perform this spell, to prove his word."

"Did he give you anything in the dream?"

I felt the mental tug from the book in my bag, and tried to ignore it.

"No, I woke with nothing more than the memory of it all."

Snape came around to the side of his desk and stopped, seeming to be hesitant about something. He reached for his wand and raised it slightly. I had a feeling of what he was attempting to do, and tried to completely clear my mind. I tried to put up a mental block, but my brain was too busy to even attempt such a thing. As soon as I saw his arm raise I did the only thing I could think of at that moment and moved towards him, embracing him tightly. I knew this was a dangerous move, but with as far as I had gotten with him last night, maybe the simple gesture would trigger something of what I had created. My heart beat like mad as my anxiety reached an all time high, my body beginning to slightly tremor. My shaking stopped after I realized that he hadn't made any sudden moves to push me away or hex me. He stood stiff and unmoving, silent once again. My nerves began to calm as I realized that had the spell still not been in effect he would have surely vaporized me. I found my voice and attempted to ignore the incessant pestering the book in my bag was tugging at my mind with. I felt like I wanted to tell him about it, the _Grimoirum Verum_, but knew that I would go mad without it. This was already a dangerous sign.

"Professor, please believe me. Why would I lie about something so dangerous?"

I looked up at him and saw that he had closed his eyes, fighting for control again. It was the same look that he had worn last night before he kissed me, and I was hoping he would lose the battle this time again. A feeling of confidence swept over me and I smiled into his chest. I didn't feel like myself at that moment, and I blamed it all on the cursed book. Power corrupts after all, and I had no doubts that I was already on the path to destruction. At this moment, however, I didn't really care.

"You shouldn't fight it, Professor. Just do whatever it is your mind's telling you to do. It'll stay between you and me."

I moved my hands up his back to his shoulders and lifted my head until we were face to face. I brushed my lips against his and felt his hands on my arms, squeezing tightly. I attempted to kiss him, but he turned his head.

"Leave, before I do something I'll later regret."

"Why regret it? It just might be good for you, you know. How do you know you won't enjoy it? Don't tell me you hated kissing me like you did last night."

"I wasn't in my right mind."

"Maybe you were. Maybe you really did want to kiss me."

"Enough of this foolishness!"

I hit the floor as he pushed me hard, gritting my teeth as I felt a sharp pain in my tail bone. As the pain throbbed I felt frustrated with myself, that I deserved the pain I now felt. I didn't know what came over me or, dare I say, possessed me just then. The confidence had left as soon as it had come and I was left feeling like an arrogant fool. I glanced up at Snape and saw him staring down at his desk where his hand was clenched. The spell had been more powerful than I'd realized, and I was sure I'd made a mistake. He was suffering because of my selfishness, and I was the only one gaining from any of it. I brought my hand to my mouth and felt tears well up in my eyes. I was hurting inside. The anger in his voice made my heart ache.

"Get out."

I managed to ignore the pain in my tail bone and got to my feet, then rushed out of his office. I made the decision to skip lunch and my classes for the rest of the day.


	5. Chapter 5

I had been curled up by the fire in the common room for most of the afternoon, my green blanket wrapped around me like a cloak. I couldn't help but play the day's previous events over and over in my mind. I had come so close to doing something that I would have possibly regretted for the rest of the school year. My cheeks were red not from the heat of the flames, but from my own embarrassment, my own shame at the idea of forcing something upon a Professor – albeit a Professor I very much cared for. I could have even went as far as to say the word 'love', but what I had done wasn't something a loved one would do. I hung my head and fought back tears at my own guilt. Snape was suffering, he was being forced to deal with emotions that he absolutely loathed. It was all due to that damned cursed tome. I could practically hear Tom Riddle mocking me inside my subconscious mind; he would love to see my torment now.

And what was that earlier? My mind had become something else. I had become a succubus that was trying to seduce the Professor. Even now I could remember feeling the pull from the book in my head. It was as if the thing were controlling my very actions, because what I had said earlier sure as hell couldn't have come from me. I sighed and wiped the tears from my eyes to look at the clock on the wall. It was getting late, and everyone was in the Great Hall eating dinner. I had skipped out. My stomach was churning and I had a headache. I was thankful that Genevieve was absent from the common room because she would have hit me with fifty questions. Coming up with a lie would have been a challenge. I didn't want to keep stacking one lie on top of another – soon I wasn't going to even trust myself. As a matter of fact, I think I was already there anyway.

I felt it again. In the silence of the common room my brown eyes grew wide as a dark presence entered into my conscience. It was faint but it was there. The book was toying with my thoughts again, egging me on to do such terrible things. I closed my eyes tight and clenched my teeth together, saying a mantra in my head, then out loud as the pull grew more and more relentless.

"Go away, go away, go away, go away! I will _not _hurt him any more than I already have!"

It only fought back harder, and I finally felt myself relax as I fell back into the couch. My blanket fell off of my shoulders and I stared into the fire. It was useless to fight back against it. I had wanted this, and now I was getting it full force. I regretted even asking for the _Grand Grimoire_. I even regretted casting the love spell on Professor Snape. I sighed, a grin crossing my lips. I was oddly at comfort in that moment, the realization of everything setting in - or was it the book enhancing my confidence again? Either way, I felt my heart begin to beat a little faster. The professor should have come back from dinner by now, as students started piling into the common room. I had to apologize and attempt to make amends with the Professor, and what better time to do so than with a heightened sense of confidence? I had left his office in a hurry earlier, and I didn't exactly leave on a good note. Maybe things would be better this time, or worse. Either way, I stood to walk out of the common room. I nearly ran into Genevieve as I made my way through the students still coming through the portrait. Her large green eyes smiled at me and she poked me in the chest.

"So, why did you skip dinner? You look pretty happy, did you do it so you could be with your mystery man?"

I shook my head and brushed by her.

"No. I had some thinking to do. I'll be back later."

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"For a walk through the dungeons. I'll be back later, don't worry. There is still a few hours before curfew."

Genevieve fell back and just stood there watching me. Her face was full of worry.

I made sure that I hadn't been followed, and I made a bit of a detour before rounding back and heading to the Professor's office. I knocked on his door a few times but heard no answer, so I dropped to the floor and sat upon the cold stone floor. He'd be back at some point. He wouldn't be able to avoid me this way and I could get my apologies in. I still felt confident and elated, but it was part of the power the book's curse still held over me. I could only hope that the damned thing wouldn't make me do things I didn't want to do again. Well, things I didn't want to force upon the Professor anyway. I jerked my head up as I heard heavy footsteps quickly approaching. I stood and watched as Professor Snape rounded the corner and stopped dead when he saw me standing beside his office door.

"Professor! Hey, do you mind if I come in for a minute? I have something I want to tell you-"

He rushed towards me and slapped a hand over my mouth to quiet me, then dragged me into his office and locked the door. He released me and cast a silencing charm on the room, then leaned against his desk.

"Since when did you surmise that it would be alright to wait for me outside of my office at this hour?"

I smiled and approached him, but stopped and frowned as he leaned back as if to avoid contact. I looked at the floor and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I needed to apologize to you... again... about doing something so stupid and inconsiderate. There's something more to all of this that I need to tell you. I haven't been entirely truth-"

I gasped as I felt something akin to a mental slap in my brain. I fell to the floor on my knees and grabbed my head, a migraine forming in the very back. Snape jumped from his desk and knelt before me, a look of concern as a teacher would give to a student meeting my half open eyes.

"What is going on?!"

I attempted to answer his question, but ended up moaning in pain instead. Snape removed his wand from his robes and pointed it at my head, uttered some words that I couldn't understand at the moment, and then withdrew his wand as my pain slowly began to subside. What in the hell had happened? It seemed the book was preventing me from telling the truth, for the truth would surely mean the end of its power. It was as if the book were a living thing that needed a host to survive and feed off of, a parasite that just had its food threatened. I looked up at the Professor with tears in my eyes. He gave an exasperated sigh and turned his head, annoyance in his expression.

"You are not telling me everything, girl. I'd suggest you do so immediately or there will be dire consequences."

I grabbed onto his arms and squeezed them tightly. The thing in my subconscious dived into action once I touched him, my cheeks heating up. I had to fight it this time. The love spell was drawing me in now as well, and I could finally understand what Snape had been going through all this time, ever since I had cast the thing.

"Professor, I'm sorry, I can't tell you. I tried to, but before I could get the words out I felt an excruciating pain in my head. I really did come here to tell you, but..."

He was looking at me strangely, his arms tense as I held onto them. We were still on the floor kneeling in front of each other, his height causing him to have to look down to meet my gaze. I had to look away for fear that my body would begin to take over again like it had earlier that day. Deep down I was melting, though. His eyes burned through me as my insides heated up like a fire was crackling in them. I squeaked as I was suddenly knocked to the floor, my hands held out on either side of my body, my beloved Professor hovering above me.

"P-Professor?"

He was angry. His gaze was murderous as it searched my eyes for hidden answers. He was fighting again, I could tell. It was the only explanation for the situation we were now in. It was suddenly quite funny. I had wanted nothing more than for him to fall in love with me, and now here we both were, fighting the same spell - the spell I had wanted so badly to work. An involuntary giggle burst out, the giggle turning into a laugh until I was making a fool of myself.

"And what in the hell is so funny? I hardly think it a proper moment to be bursting with laughter."

I managed to still my spasms long enough enough to look up at him with a genuine smile.

"It's funny, isn't it? I cast the spell because I wanted you, and now here I am suffering because of it as well. Funny how dark magic can come back to bite you in the ass."

"You're a foolish girl. I'll see to it personally that you're on the train tomorrow morning."

I sighed and cocked an eyebrow, looking up at him playfully.

"Well, since I'm already expelled according to you, then I can do anything I want right now, right? I've got nothing to lose, after all."

His eyes widened as I wiggled one of my arms loose and grabbed his shirt, pulling him down forcefully into a kiss. He gave in rather easily and grasped my wrist, moving my hand from his chest. I brought a leg up and ran it up his thigh, the bottom of my skirt falling back against my waist to reveal a bit more skin. When our lips disconnected I bit my lip and looked up at him seductively.

"Do you have to wear that big black cloak right now? You look like a vampire."

"This has already gone far enough."

I brought my arm up and ran my hand around his chest and neck, looking for the clasp that held his cloak to his body. He closed his eyes and drew in a sharp breath as he felt my fingers crawling around, finally discovering the spot and unhooking his cape. It fell to the floor around us, his skinny body looking much smaller now that he was in his usual black button up attire. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly, then looked into my eyes.

"Why do you do this to me?"

"It's the spell. It isn't going away, and who knows? Maybe these are true feelings coming to the surface."

He smirked and 'hmphed' at my statement.

"I'm quite sure I have never thought of a student in this manner."

"If that's the case, then why are you still pinning me to the floor, holding my hand?"

"Because a certain student doesn't know how to obey the rules when it comes to forbidden magic."

I laughed as I felt the pull again, only this time it wasn't a power struggle. It flowed through me freely, my mind spinning with desire and words that begged to escape from my mouth. My usual shyness was gone and I felt beautiful, seductive, and wonderful. The curse was becoming a drug that threw me into a natural high every time I touched my beloved Professor, every time we kissed, which we quickly dived into again. I groaned as he relaxed over me, releasing both of my arms so I could throw them around his back. I lifted my legs on either side of him and pushed him against me with my heels, a surprised moan escaping my throat as I felt his arousal.

"Severus, you can't tell me that's the magic as well."

"It is not proper for a student to call a teacher by their first name."

"Well, since I'm officially expelled, I'm not a student anymore am I?"

"At this moment you are and you will address me as such."

I giggled.

"Listen to you, getting all formal on me now. You're still talking to me like a teacher even though you've got me pinned beneath you, practically screaming inside for me to touch you. Don't tell me that isn't true."

He glared at me and grabbed my chin, lifting it to expose my neck.

"You're quite brave now that you've been threatened with expulsion."

"What have I got to lose, _Professor_ Snape?"

"Everything. I have never harmed a student before, but after this you will pay threefold for what you have done to me."

"I will take anything you have to give me, Professor. I regret nothing."

He leaned over and set his lips on my neck, trailing them down until they reached my tie. He loosened it and then took it off, spreading my white button-up shirt open to expose my collar bones. I moaned quietly as I felt his lips on me again, sliding along my exposed chest. More of my shirt became unbuttoned as he worked his way down, when he suddenly stopped and came back up to look into my lustful eyes.

"What is it, Professor?"

"I can't do this."

"Why not? Is it because I'm so much younger than you?"

"Not only that, but I am not this kind of person."

I sighed and brought him down into a hug.

"You've never done this before, have you?"

He remained silent as I squeezed him tight, the smell of various herbs still clinging to his jacket meeting my senses.

"Professor, are you alright?"

I released him and watched as he sat up, looking off to the side. He still held his usual look of arrogance, but there was something else there that hadn't been there before. Even though it was due to the effects of the love spell, part of me couldn't help but think that it was possibly a true part of himself that he tried so hard to hide. He noticed me staring at him and closed his eyes.

"No, I have not. Nor do I wish to. This has gone far enough, you need to leave now."

"And if I refuse?"

He looked down at me and leaned over me again, pressing against me tightly. I gasped and grabbed his arms. He whispered darkly into my ear, a sound of clear frustration in his deep voice.

"If you refuse, I will be forced to act out of my usual nature, which will make me most displeased."

I slid one of my hands down his body and felt between his legs, causing him to flinch slightly.

"I want to see you in a new light. Don't hold back, I'm not leaving."

I ran my hand back up his body and began unbuttoning his black jacket until it slid off of him, leaving him in a white button-up and his black pants. I kissed his neck and felt his body through his thin shirt, a wonderful feeling compared to the restraint of his thick black jacket he wore seconds ago. I could hear his heavy breathing above me in the silent room, his eyes closed as he rose up. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and looked down at me, my chest rising and falling as another head rush ran its course. I reached up and unbuttoned the first few buttons on his shirt to expose most of his chest, finally feeling the warm flesh beneath. It was an odd feeling. Such a cold and ruthless man held so much warmth underneath his dark and frightening image.

"Severus, I love this side of you."

"This is only because of your stupid actions, Miss Mae. Do not take it as anything more."

I smiled and brushed some of his black hair aside.

"I love you."

He looked at me and was at a loss for words. He hadn't even attempted to move his mouth for a response. Maybe it had scared him. It wasn't something he was used to hearing, nor was it something he probably ever expected to hear. He was always so alone even though he had many admirers. They all feared him even though they loved him, but I had been the only one to actually come forth and be persistent. This was because I meant it, I meant it deep down to the bottom of my heart. It could have been the love spell talking, but there was something inside me that I could feel growing in that moment, and it was my heart expanding as I stared up at his eyes. He finally broke the silence, his voice a bit shaky.

"How dare you say such things."

"I meant it. I do love you. It's why I just couldn't stop bothering you, I loved being around you even though you wrote me off as an annoying student quite often."

"How could you possibly know anything about love? You're still a teenager with an underdeveloped mind."

"I know, because I can feel it. I can't describe it. I'm not going to lay here and give you some elaborate and mushy explanation because it would be completely inaccurate. I may just be a teenager, but I do know that I am in love and it's not something to take lightly. Send me home tomorrow, throw me out of your office right now, but no matter what you do these feelings aren't going to go away. I cast that love spell for a reason. I wanted you that much. I wasn't just playing around."

He sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he looked down at me he stared deep into my eyes. They were burning with intensity, and I felt it all over.

"Severus... Don't just look at me. I want you to make love to me. I've waited long enough."

He responded with his usual smirk and reached down to slide my skirt up. My underwear slid down my legs slowly as he removed them with shaky hands and then tossed them to the side. I took a deep breath as I kept my eyes on him, watching him as he leaned back over me. I soon felt him against me, and I blushed as he leaned into me, capturing my lips. My body tensed as he entered me slowly, my mind taking a moment to grasp the reality of what was happening.

"S-Severus!"

"This is what you wanted, isn't it?"

"I didn't expect you to..."

"You've stated your case. Don't make me regret believing you."

I was rendered silent as he thrust forward, my mouth opening wide in a silent scream. I held onto him as we began to move together, his body rocking above mine. My insides were radiating with pleasure, my mind swimming as the goal of the love spell had finally been reached. It had all been worth it in the end. The curse had lost its momentary control as my mind filled with passion, my heart expanding and beating out of my chest. The very moment that I had always shamelessly daydreamed about in class was finally coming true. I had to keep looking into his eyes to convince myself that this wasn't just another dream. It was real, and everything was happening so perfectly.

I called out his name as I reached my climax, he pulling out and reaching his soon after. My arms dropped to the floor beside me, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath.

"I love you, Severus."

"I heard you the first time."

I smiled and sat up, kissing him on the cheek.

"I just thought you might want to hear it a second time."

At the mention of the word 'time' Snape looked up at the clock on his wall, then back to me.

"A student out of bed after curfew? I believe that's a detention."

"Are you serious? You've got to be joking."

"You will meet me here in the dungeons after classes tomorrow. You will serve out your detention then."

I started to laugh and leaned into him, hugging him tightly.

"Is that code for something else?"

"No. You would like that too much, wouldn't you?"

I sat back and looked at him, a huge smile spreading across my face. I couldn't contain my inner child and bounced up and down.

"You said I had a detention! That means I'm not expelled!"

He cleaned himself up and redressed, rising to his feet and walking over to his desk to sit in his chair. He was back in teacher mode once more. At least I had gotten a taste of what he was really like underneath. Thank you love spell. He pulled out a small piece of parchment and wrote something on it, then placed it on the edge of his desk. I cleaned up and redressed myself, then made my way to his desk to look at the note. It was a pass.

"This is your pass for tomorrow's detention, Miss Mae. You are to show up at seven o'clock after dinner. No excuses."

"Thank you, Severus."

"You will address me as your Professor, and you are not to speak of tonight to anyone."

"Of course, Professor Snape. Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow after dinner."

I grabbed the pass and waited until he removed the charms on the room, then made my way out into the dungeon's corridors. I couldn't help but smile. Some people would probably still be awake in the common room, but I didn't care. As soon as I entered Slytherin's dorm through the portrait I heard a distant laugh. I turned around and looked in every direction. A few of my classmates stared at me in confusion, partly because I had come in so late. There was no one in the room that could have caused the noise. I walked over to the stairs to the girl's dorm and heard it again, only this time it was louder. It was dark, and I felt an ice-cold, gripping fear grab at my insides. I paused at the entrance to the room, a panic rising within me. I was so afraid that the hair was standing on the back of my neck. I felt the fight or flight response rise within me and I began to shake. The presence was coming from this room. I forced myself to go to my bed, and I looked down at my bag. It was coming from there. It was coming from the _Grimoirum Verum._


	6. Chapter 6

_I was standing in a strange, dark room made of stone. There were torches on the walls, but the fire that came from them wasn't red; it was instead an eerie shade of green. I heard a wet slapping noise as I turned, realizing that it was my bare feet on the damp stone floor beneath me. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself as I felt the cold air drift through the musty room. My black nightshirt was definitely not enough to keep me warm for long._

"_Hello? Is anyone there?"_

_I spun around and noticed a large statue near the back of the dim room. It was a large head that had a beard and frightening eyes, and a large mouth seeming to open at the bottom. I felt like I had heard of the place before, but nothing was coming to mind. I then noticed the snake emblems around the room. It must have had something to do with the house of Slytherin, or possibly Salazar Slytherin himself. Why would he be contacting me, though? I gasped as I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see a young man with short brown hair and piercing eyes. He was wearing a set of Slytherin school robes._

"_Tom! What do you want?"_

"_What do I want? That's rather rude considering I gave you what you had always wanted."_

"_What do you mean?"_

_He took my hand and gestured for me to walk with him to the back of the room._

"_I gave you the book that led your beloved Professor to you, did I not? Are you now aware of what that Grimoire can do?"_

_I stopped and let my hand slide out of his. That was right, I had completely forgotten about my previous dream in all of the fuss. Tom turned to see why I had stopped, and grinned when he saw the nervous look on my face. He lifted my chin and looked into my eyes._

"_Was it fun? Was it as enjoyable as you thought it would be?"_

_My face turned red and I slapped his hand away._

"_That's none of your business! What Severus and I have is between us."_

"_So, he's allowing you to call him that, now?"_

"_Not exactly, but..."_

_Tom backed away and smirked._

"_Well, at least he allowed you to call him that in the throes of passion."_

"_Stop that!" _

_I felt myself crumbling inside from embarrassment. The idea that Tom knew what had transpired between Severus and I was awful. It made me want to shrink as small as I could. Unfortunately, I didn't know any shrinking spells that would be safe for a human being. It was even more humiliating because Severus had worked under this guy at one time when he was Voldemort. Tom obviously resented him for his betrayal, so a few jokes at Snape's expense was something he would enjoy. Snape would probably kill me if he knew Tom was aware of everything. The former Slytherin approached me and pushed me hard up against a stone wall, nearly breaking my back. I moaned in pain as he pinned my arms down, his lips inching close to my ear. He was irritated and his voice grew dark._

"_I've shown you what the book can do, so now you must help me!"_

_I struggled against him and tried to free my arms._

"_No! I'm not helping you! You're only going to continue what you started years ago."_

"_You foolish girl! Don't __**test**__ my patience! You have no choice, the curse will eventually consume you and you will no longer be responsible for your own actions. Once you've used its power it will continue to suck you dry, feeding off of your desires until it has taken over your mind and driven you mad."_

"_Piss off!"_

_Tom brought his head back to look at me, then smiled._

"_You're so full of fire, I like that. You're fearless as well. It seems there is only one way to convince you to do anything."_

_He pushed himself against me and ran his lips down my neck, biting down on the crook in my shoulder. I gasped and felt my ears heat up as his hands released my arms to wander my body, his fingers brushing across my chest. I cleared my head and pushed him away hard, sinking to the floor in defense. He stood back with his hands still raised in front of him. He seemed rather calm for being rejected, and slowly lowered his arms to his sides. I tried to reach for my wand, but remembered that I hadn't any pockets. I really needed to start going to bed with that thing. I watched as the world began to grow hazy, Tom turning into a transparent green mist along with the dungeon._

"_You will help me, Sarah. Rather you want to or not."_

_I tried to speak but my voice caught in my throat. My head was spinning and I passed out._

OoooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooO

I sat up in bed and looked at the clock. It was three in the morning. Sighing, I stood and wiped the sweat from my forehead. It was another nightmare. Why Tom Riddle sought me out and continued to torment me was a mystery. There were plenty of other Slytherins that he could easily coax into helping him, specifically the Malfoy kid. I looked to the bed next to mine and found Genevieve sleeping soundly. Thankfully she hadn't questioned me when I returned to the common room late that evening. She probably had her own theory as to why I had been glowing when I entered the room, but it hadn't lasted for long. That dark laugh, the one I had heard upon approaching my bag made me feel uneasy again. The very memory of it sent chills up my spine. I grabbed the tome from my bag and rushed downstairs with it where a fire was still burning.

Thankfully I was the only one awake, so I could read in private. I took my usual spot on the sofa by the hearth and curled up near the warm flames. Upon opening the book I felt it call to me as it had many times before. I flipped through its pages, the spine crackling each time I spread it open to scan through the text. Then I saw it. It was a similar spell to one in the _Grand Grimoire_, but it was much more powerful and dangerous. A sinister smile crept across my face as I jumped up and ran to grab some parchment, then back downstairs to the book. I felt a certain sense of mischievous intent as I copied the spell down onto the paper, my quill moving erratically over the page as if I had only seconds to copy the passage. It read thus:

"_To Make a Girl Dance in the Nude_

Write on virgin parchment the Character of FRUTIMIERE with the blood of a bat. Then put it

on a blessed stone, over which a Mass has been said. After this when you want to use it, place

the character under the sill or threshold of a door which she must pass.

When she comes past, she will come in. She will undress and be completely naked, and will dance increasingly until death, if one does not remove the character; with grimaces and contortions which will cause more pity than desire."

_Grimoirum Verum_

I closed the book once I finished copying the text and went upstairs to crawl back into bed. All I needed was to obtain a stone and some blood from a bat. The stone was simple, but the bat blood would be a little tougher to acquire. I didn't have any, nor did I think a trip to Diagon Alley (or Knocturn Alley) was plausible at this point. Students couldn't just leave when they pleased, so I had to obtain it another way. Severus... he would have some for sure in his ingredients cupboard. Even though we had grown a bit closer, I doubted he would just hand it over. He was still my Professor, and he had to treat me accordingly. I had no choice but to sneak into his closet of ingredients and 'borrow' some. I yawned and folded the parchment, placing it into my bag with the cursed book. I spent the time it took to fall asleep thinking about who I would test the spell on. There was an especially snooty Gryffindor named Olive who liked to pick on the Slytherins. I had gotten into it with her more than once, and it ended in humiliation. Yes, she was perfect. Slytherins had double Potions with the Gryffindors tomorrow and the day after the next, so it gave me some time to gather what I needed. I also needed to figure out how to perform a blessing on the stone. The library would help with that and it would be easy to find an accessible book.

OoooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooO

I spent the next day after my first class, Divination, searching for the perfect stone out on the hill overlooking Hagrid's hut. There was a pleasant breeze in the Autumn air and it wasn't too cold outside, so it was a relaxing way to pass the time anyway. I was leaned against one of the large stones examining a rock when three girls approached me. One appeared to be the leader, her hair a light blonde and curly, her eyes a bright blue. She was very pretty, but I knew her well enough. It was Olive of all people. Irony at its best. The other two girls were her best friends Jennifer and Ellen. Jennifer had short brown hair that was poker straight, her eyes a dark brown color; Ellen was short and had black hair that was puffy and curly, her skin a light shade of brown. Her eyes were green, sparkling with mischief. I sighed and stood with a rock in my hand, my bag across my shoulder. I attempted to walk by them, but Olive grabbed my arm and caused the rock in my hand to tumble to the ground.

"Oops. Didn't mean to make you drop your little pet."

I jerked my arm away and kept walking, only for Ellen to step in front of me and lean forward.

"What you doin' Slytherin?"

Jennifer walked up beside her and rested her elbow on her friend's back.

"She's probably gathering stones to build a shrine to You-Know-Who by her bed."

The hair prickled on the back of my neck. They had no idea what was to come within the next few days. Once I had my hands on the bat blood, it was only a matter of time before their precious leader made a mockery of herself.

"Fuck off."

Olive laughed and 'ooh'd like a child in elementary school.

"I'll have to tell Professor McGonagall that you have a foul mouth. She'll take house points."

"I personally don't think she'll care. I don't have time for this, I have to get back to my classes."

Jennifer grabbed some of my long blonde hair and yanked me back.

"Slytherins are delinquents. You should know your place."

I clenched my teeth and turned around, raising my hand. I slapped her across the face hard. A pulsating dark energy entered into my mind when my hand made contact causing my eyes to darken.

"Tell me again how you bitches got sorted into Gryffindor? As far as I'm concerned, you belong in a dung heap somewhere in Romania with the dragons."

The girls backed off looking appalled. I took the chance to escape them, but not before picking up the stone that I had found. I slipped it into my bag as I ran to get back up to the school. I now had a perfect reason to use the spell on Olive. Or maybe... could the spell be used on more than one person at once?

OoooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooO

Now that I had the rock in my possession, I was closer to being able to perform the spell. I had scarfed my lunch down hastily that afternoon to make it to the library with a bit of free time left. I asked Madam Pince where I would find a book on blessings, and she pointed me to the second floor of the library. I climbed the marble staircase and browsed through the shelves, grabbing a white book with golden pages. It felt odd handling a book with such brightness surrounding it, especially after handling such a dark one just the night previous. I was playing with two polar opposite forces, and I knew that it would be getting into some heavy stuff. At least it was only a few days until I had my private lessons with Snape. Snape...

I had forgotten about my detention! I had to be in his office by seven o' clock that night. It wasn't a problem, of course. After what had transpired the night before it was sure to be an interesting hour. My stomach fluttered when the memories came rushing back, dissipating all the anger that I had felt up until now. I clutched the bright book to my chest and made my way back down the staircase to check it out with Madam Pince. A quick glance at the clock on the wall showed that it would be another four hours until classes ended. Then another few hours until my detention with Snape. At least that was something I could look forward to that was a sure thing. I thanked the librarian and rushed out into the hall, hurrying to make it to my next class, which was History of Magic with Professor Binns. He was the professor that had allowed me to start, unknowingly, on this frightening journey into the Dark Arts.

OoooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooO

At three in the afternoon I arrived at the Potions classroom. I eagerly looked around for Severus, but he was nowhere to be found. I sat onto one of the stools in the front of the room as was usual for me. I had no reason to avoid him now, but I had to be careful with the way I acted. Genevieve always took a seat beside me, and I knew her brilliant skills of deduction would pick something up if she noticed anything strange between us. I jumped and turned around quickly as the doors in the back of the room slammed loudly, a large, billowing cloak flowing behind the figure that had entered. My ears turned red and I tried to face the front of the classroom like normal.

'_Just act normal. Nothing happened between you and the Professor last night. Nothing. We didn't do anything naughty or forbidden or... Damn it!_'

I took a deep breath as I tried to still my beating heart. Thankfully Genevieve hadn't noticed my discomfort and watched as Snape approached the front of the dim room. He turned around and folded his hands in front of him, taking count of all of the students present. When he finally got to me, his eyes fixated on mine for a few seconds before he pried them away and looked to Genevieve, then the remaining few Slytherins beside us. I knew my cheeks had to be a bright shade of red at this point, so I attempted to let some of my long hair slide around my face. I stared at the chalk board up front as Snape began his lesson on a swelling potion. I coughed as he said the name of the potion, my mind wandering into the gutter. For some reason everything he said during that entire hour turned into a completely different meaning in my head, which didn't help my performance. Genevieve had to help me multiple times as I kept fumbling with my knife, attempting to slice the ingredients at just the right length. I kept dropping bits of things onto the floor, my hands growing shaky every time he brushed past. I should have taken my own advice to avoid the seat at the end of the table closest to the walkway. Every time Snape walked by I felt his cloak brush against my arm, which made me drop the wrong ingredient into my cauldron. A strange, purple mist rose from inside and floated up to the ceiling.

He finally noticed my constant fumbling and walked over to me, leaning over my back, setting his hands on the table beside me. As he leaned into me I felt my body grow hot. He usually did this to students that he wanted to torment, to humiliate, but to me it felt like something different. He was teasing me on purpose. My breathing quickened as I tried to remain calm. I didn't want to give away anything, especially not in front of the entire class.

"P-Professor?"

"It seems, Miss Mae, that we are having a bit of trouble this afternoon?"

"Yes... yes, sir."

He smirked and left me, my back turning cold as he walked over to the other side of the table, pointing his wand at my cauldron. In a flash the solution disappeared in a mini whirlpool. He skillfully flipped his wand back into his robes and looked over to Genevieve.

"You are not to help Miss Mae any further. One cannot possibly learn to brew a proper potion unless one does it themselves."

Genevieve nodded, her bouncy black hair falling into her face.

"Yes sir, sorry sir."

Snape turned and sat at his desk at the front of the room. He grabbed a stack of parchments from the corner of his desk and began marking on them, probably red marks all over the homework that was turned in the day before. I took a deep breath and looked down at my messy desk. Genevieve gave me a look that said, 'I'm sorry', and continued brewing her potion. I picked up the knife to try to start the process over again, and while slicing one of the ingredients I happened to cut my finger.

"Ouch!"

I flinched and grabbed at my hand, blood oozing out of the cut. Genevieve looked over at my injury and gasped.

"Oh, Sarah! That looks pretty bad, you should go to the Infirmary."

"Nah, I'll be okay. I've gotten worse cuts than this before."

Snape spoke up without lifting his eyes from his desk.

"Perhaps you should take your friend's advice and go to the Infirmary. We don't need blood getting into the potion. Who knows what disaster that would cause."

I stood and nodded, then spoke as I started to pack my things.

"Yes, Professor. Thank you."

"Do not thank me. You will be making this up in your detention tonight. Maybe in the future you will learn to keep your head out of the clouds while preparing ingredients."

Some of the Gryffindors snickered as I rushed out of the classroom, embarrassment causing me to walk faster than I normally would. I caught a glimpse at Olive, who was laughing the hardest. Before I shut the doors I managed a smile. She wouldn't be laughing for long.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Sorry this is such a short chapter... I typed it late at night and it was the last bit of what I have now. Instead of waiting to type a few more pages I wanted to post it :)**_

At fifteen 'til seven I grabbed a few books and exited the Slytherin common room. Snape had changed our meeting place for the detention to the Potions classroom due to my failed experiment earlier in class. Upon approaching the large wooden doors I noticed they were opened slightly. Peeking in, I saw Snape was already there, his black coat and cape draped over one of the desks, his white shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbow. I swallowed hard as a vivid image flashed into my mind of him from last night, his white shirt partially open and his sleeves rolled up as they were now. I cleared my throat loudly as I entered the room, making sure to close the door behind me. Snape looked up from the potion he was brewing and wiped his arm across his forehead. The large cauldron in the front of the room was emitting steam and a strange odor that smelled like Patchouli.

"I'm here for my detention."

I dropped my books onto the table and sat on the edge of it, an involuntary smile causing me to turn my head away from him. Oh gods, now I was acting like some stupid giggly fan girl. I'd hoped that he hadn't noticed, but he apparently did as he approached me and grabbed my chin, turning me to face him.

"You are not here to play, you are here to work. I will gather the ingredients you need, get your book ready."

My heart skipped a beat as he said this. I knew where he was going to go.

"Severus... I mean... Sir, why don't you let me go get them? I think your potion is starting to burn."

"I know what I'm doing, I have been brewing potions longer than you've been alive."

"I know, but I know where they are. I'm the one who screwed up so I'll make the extra effort to go get them. Besides, it's me..."

"... If I find anything else missing later the proper actions will be taken, and it will be confiscated."

I smiled and leaned forward, kissing him lightly and hopping off the desk. He became flustered and watched me as I went through the side door in the classroom.

"Please refrain from doing that in the middle of the classroom, idiot girl!"

I laughed as I reached the small room that housed all of Snape's potion ingredients. There was a ladder to reach higher shelves, and I then realized that I had no clue as to where anything was. There had to be hundreds of ingredients in there. A light bulb blinked in my head and I pulled out my wand, using the 'Accio' spell to receive each of the ingredients. They flew down into my arm gently, then when I had all three ingredients I paused. Now was my chance to get the bat's blood, but without the Accio spell I was lost. I couldn't let Snape hear me in the other room. I held my wand up, hoping that the spell would still work with a whisper, and was pleasantly surprised when a red bottle floated into my hand. I looked to the side to make sure no footsteps could be heard approaching, and pulled a small vial from the inner pocket of my robe. I poured a small amount of the blood into it and sealed the top with a cork, then replaced the vial into my pocket and sent the bottle of bat's blood back onto the shelf in its rightful place. I felt slightly guilty tricking Severus like that, but it had to be done. Olive needed to be put in her place, all three of them needed to be reminded that one shouldn't mess with a Slytherin. Especially a Slytherin with an ancient Grimoire containing black magic.

I walked happily back into the room holding the three ingredients I needed (and a fourth hidden under my cloak) and dumped them onto the table where I had set my materials. I turned to see Snape still working on his potion up front. It had taken on a smell akin to Sandalwood and was glowing orange. He glanced over at me and set his ladle down onto a nearby table. Approaching me he watched carefully as I pulled out the ingredients according to my book, and I began to prepare them. I paused as I felt a rush. I hadn't brought the book with me, and I was confused as to why it could hold such power so far from me. It was slowly taking me over every time I opened it up and took from its knowledge. I hated to admit it, but it seemed that Riddle was right. This frightened me slightly. There had to be a way to cut it off, to stop the curse before it got too far out of hand. There was the risk of losing everything I had fought for with Severus, but in the end if I had lost my mind I wouldn't be able to have him anyway. My good mood instantly went sour when I hit the realization.

"Something wrong, Miss Mae?"

I shook my head to clear it and forced a smile.

"Nothing. I was thinking too far into things. I'm fine."

I took up my knife to start slicing again when Severus grabbed my wrist and set the knife down, then looked into my eyes.

"You are hiding something from me. This does not bode well after the confession you made to me. I do not take those words lightly; do not make me regret believing you."

My heart hurt at his words. I wasn't lying to him, I was just hiding the truth. If I attempted to spill the beans the curse would try to split my head open again for sure. I felt my skin burn as he held onto my wrist, my body wanting his hands elsewhere.

"Severus, don't regret it. I meant them then and I do now."

"It would be advisable that you address me as your teacher while we are in the classroom. Unfortunately rumors spread fast among adolescents."

I giggled at him.

"Then maybe you should let go of my wrist. What would someone think if they walked in here and saw us now?"

Severus dropped my hand and backed away.

"You are supposed to be serving detention. Get to work."

I gave him a cheeky grin and took my knife back up.

"But the teacher is distracting his student. How am I supposed to work when you're dressed like that?"

"As always Miss Mae, you show your lack of respect for the rules."

"Rules? What rules am I breaking? I can't chat with the teacher?"

"My rules for detention include silence. There will be no talking."

"But you've been talking up a storm."

The irritation was clear in his expression. He frowned and closed his eyes to collect himself, then turned around and went back to his own potion, stirring it carefully. My good mood had returned. He had finally started to lighten up around me a bit. I returned to my work, brewing my potion much better than my pathetic attempt earlier. Once I was finished it was nearly eight o' clock. The hour had passed by so quickly. I only had ten minutes left of my detention. I looked to the front of the room to see Snape at his desk, his coat and cape still draped over one of the desks. At least he seemed comfortable around me.

"Se- Professor Snape?"

He looked up at me and waited for me to continue.

"I'm done. It worked better this time."

He rose from his chair and came around to my desk, his body pressing against my back as it had earlier in class. He sat a hand on either side of me on the table and looked into my cauldron.

"It will do, I suppose. I will have to dock points, of course, for it being late due to clumsiness."

My breathing increased as my stomach rushed with butterflies. He lingered there for a moment longer, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. He lifted an eyebrow as my face grew hot.

"A problem, Miss Mae?"

"P-Professor... you're, um... You're so close and..."

"I am merely observing your results, do not take it as anything else."

"How can I not? Does it really take that long to tell?"

I gasped as he leaned down and moved some hair that was resting on my shoulders to set his lips on my neck. My eyes closed slowly as I felt one of his hands come up under my arm to grab my breast, then opened them once more in alarm.

"Severus, the door isn't locked, what if someone comes in?"

"Then get up and lock it."

He released me and moved aside so I could get up from my stool. I made the long walk to the back of the room and locked the large wooden doors. When I turned around he was already in front of me, walking toward me to pin me up against the wall. He pulled his wand from his pants pocket and cast a silencing charm before he captured my lips, I wrapped my arms around him to draw him in closer. My head started to spin as I was washed up in complete bliss once more; it was going to be another late night away from the common room.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey, what are you doing with all of that stuff?"

I jumped as I heard Genevieve behind me, turning my head to see her shoulder-length black hair on my shoulder as she peered over me. I quickly folded the parchment containing the spell from the Grimoire and slipped it under the stone. I had been sitting on my bed during the free period before lunch working on my spell. It was the last thing that I had wanted Genevieve to see, and I knew it would be hard to come up with an excuse.

"Oh, nothing. It's something stupid, really. I read about a good luck charm in one of those muggle used book stores. I picked up the thing before school started and figured I'd try it out since I had nothing to do."

She came around and sat beside me, lifting the rock to snatch the parchment. I quickly grabbed it back from her and held onto it tight. She raised an eyebrow and looked at me curiously.

"Why are you being so secretive? If it's just a stupid luck charm thing then why do you have to hide it?"

I sighed. Thankfully the bat's blood was still in my bag. That would have taken a lot of explaining. Lately there were too many moments where I just felt farther and farther from my best friend, and it was the worst feeling in the world. I was becoming someone that I wasn't, and I knew that I was only going to keep spiraling downward with more and more lies. I couldn't risk Genevieve discovering my secrets because, knowing her, she would go to Snape for my own safety. He would be livid if it was out about what he and I were involved in. Not to mention I didn't need Snape knowing about my vengeful spell. He had my copy of the _Grand Grimoire_, and it would give away the fact that I had another Grimoire if he knew I was still practicing forbidden magic.

"It's private..."

Geneveive looked hurt.

"Private? I'm your best friend, you can tell me anything and you know that. I'm the number one person you can trust. What is going on with you lately? You've been acting strange."

I forced a smile.

"Have I? I didn't really notice. I've just had a lot on my mind. That's why I needed a good luck charm, so I won't mess up in potions again, haha."

Genevieve's mood seemed to lighten and she laughed along with me, her pressure to see the spell finally gone.

"So, how did detention go? Snape wasn't too hard on you, was he?"

I blushed at her comment as my mind flew into the gutter.

'_Oh, he was hard on me alright..._'

"No, Sev- Snape was bearable. I completed the potion much better the second time around!"

I started to sweat. I had almost slipped. If Genevieve caught me calling Professor Snape by his first name she may think something was going on. She looked at me for a moment and then gave a small laugh, confusion in her eyes.

"What was that you were about to say? Sev... what?"

"Nothing, Genevieve. A slip of the tongue. I just messed up my words is all."

I laughed nervously but she wasn't buying it. Great.

"No, you were going to say 'Severus', weren't you? Since when did you start calling Snape by his first name?"

"Ah, like I said, it was a complete accident. Don't tell me you haven't accidentally called McGonagall Minerva or Dumbledore Albus."

"No..."

I flopped back into my bed with the paper still gripped tightly in my hand. The stone bounced onto the floor with a dull 'thump'.

"Sarah, what in the hell is going on? Can you please fill me in? I'm your best friend, I have a right to know. You've been coming in late a lot, calling Snape by his first name, avoiding everyone... What is your deal lately?"

Genevieve had already started to delve too deep into things. She was right, she was the closest person to me besides Severus at this point and she had a right to know. I could at least tell her about Snape, but not the books or the dreams. I closed my eyes and groaned.

"Is anyone in here right now?"

"No, they're all down in the common room or elsewhere."

"Alright... Promise not to freak out, and promise not to hate me."

"I can't make any promises, but I definitely won't hate you. Unless you killed someone or something."

I laughed and stared up at the high ceiling.

"No, I didn't kill anyone. I am doing something really stupid right now, though. I... I've been hanging around with Snape a lot. That's why I've been coming in late."

"Don't tell me... But that's impossible. He's a teacher and he hates everyone."

"Everyone but me, apparently."

Genevieve's mouth fell open and she just stared at me. After a moment of silence I looked over at her, then sat up abruptly.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Everything! Everything you told me is wrong!"

"It's why I didn't want to tell you. I knew you wouldn't take it well."

"So... That's why you've been acting odd in Potions."

"Yes... You don't hate me, do you?"

Genevieve stood from the bed and looked down at me.

"I don't hate you, but I think you're seriously messed up. Snape? Of all people? You're so attractive, you could nail any guy you wanted and you choose him? How in the hell did you manage that, anyway?"

"I sort of... used a bit of magic I shouldn't have... He's okay with it though. We've been getting on well. He even knows I used magic. We've worked things out."

"Must have been some really powerful stuff to sway that guy! I don't know..."

"Genevieve, you can't breathe a word of this to _anyone_. Sev- I mean, Snape and I could really get our asses in trouble if word got around. He'd also probably threaten my life."

Genevieve rubbed her temples as if she were getting a headache.

"But Sarah... He's so much older than you! How many years is it...?"

Genevieve attempted to count her fingers.

"Um... somewhere in the ball park of 17 or 18 years..."

"Jezus, he's practically lived your life _twice_! Not only are you dating a teach-"

I jumped up and covered her mouth with my hand.

"Shut up! You're getting way too loud, someone might hear us!"

I released her and sat back on the bed, she joining me after a few seconds. She acted as if she were afraid to touch me or be close to me, and it hurt. I hadn't expected her to take it so hard.

"Sarah... I promised I wouldn't hate you and I won't tell a soul because I care about you. You're like a sister to me. You sound like you've gotten yourself into some pretty deep stuff, and you're only just a year away from being an adult. You have a real mess on your hands already – don't play around. Snape won't take too kindly to someone messing with his heart."

"I'm not messing with his heart, Genevieve. I really care about him, love him. Severus knows it too. I honestly don't know why or where it started, or why it happened with my own freaking teacher, but I'm not about to question feelings that kept nagging at my brain. When we messed around that night-"

I covered my mouth and my eyes widened as my face turned a dark shade of red. At least that wasn't the first thing she had heard.

"Oh no... You guys... you guys had sex already?"

I closed my eyes and nodded.

"Y-yeah. Sorry, I honestly didn't mean for that to slip out."

She grinned and slapped me on the shoulder.

"Sure you didn't. Just wanting to show off, aren't you? You've tamed the beast of Hogwarts, how do you feel?

I started laughing and shrugged her arm off. 'Beast of Hogwarts'?

"If you want the truth, pretty damn good. I mean, you'd never expect Severus to be so... well... a beast in other ways, at least."

"Oh gods, I didn't want to know that much."

Genevieve covered her ears and stood up, grabbing her bag that she had dropped by the bottom of my bed earlier.

"Free period is almost over, I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing. I may not agree with what you are up to with the Professor, but I'll still be here for you. Just be careful, alright?"

"Alright, thanks."

"Oh, and I'm so going to tease you in Potions class now."

"No, don't! If Snape finds out I've told anyone...!"

"Don't worry, I won't make it obvious."

She winked at me and ran down the stairs with her back slung over her shoulder. I sighed heavily and picked up the stone that had fallen to the floor. The parchment was now crumpled in my hand, but at least it was still legible. I looked around to make sure the coast was clear, and set the stone on my lap, holding my hands over it.

"I call upon the powers of light and the elements of this Earth. I ask to bless this stone in the name of the Mother Earth so that I may purify it and use it for the greater good. I offer sincere gratitude and many blessings. So mote it be."

I felt a warm tingling in my hands and watched as the particles in the stone sparkled slightly. It only lasted for a matter of seconds before all was normal once more. I was awed by the small event. Old witchcraft was certainly something amazing. It was no wonder I loved Professor Binn's class so much; History of Magic was an often overlooked subject that no one seemed to enjoy. Well, no one had ever experimented with older magic like I had recently. Perhaps that's what it took to have an appreciation for the dry subject. Tom Riddle probably tapped into the older, darker powers when he was at Hogwarts. I grew irritable at the memories of Riddle. He was becoming quite annoying.

Returning to my work, I wrote the proper sigil on a new piece of parchment with the bat's blood, and then thought of Olive, Jennifer, and Ellen as I attached it to the stone. A grin slipped across my lips as I stared at the result of my hard work in my hands. Tomorrow was going to be the best day of my life. At least second to making love with Severus for the first time. And then I would have private lessons with Severus on Saturday, possibly Sunday. The next three days were going to be perfect if everything went according to plan. Hopefully Snape wouldn't catch on and realize tomorrow's spectacle would be my doing.


	9. Chapter 9

Three o' clock couldn't come fast enough that Friday. I was anxious in every class, my mood elated as I reminded myself of the cruel prank I was about to play on the three Gryffindor girls that had made it a goal to make me out to be a fool. The excitement was exemplified by the book's curse as I kept it close to my body in my bag. I was beginning to enjoy the curse, at least it made me feel good as long as I was loyal to it by not revealing its secrets, and in return it gave me unimaginable abilities. When three o' clock finally rolled around, I darted to the potions classroom through the busy halls. I managed to make it there before most of my classmates, and I bent over, acting as if I dropped something to let the stone slip out of my hand onto the floor right outside the doors. I strolled inside and sat in the front of the class to get a good view of not only Severus but the show that was about to start. As I watched the Gryffindors pouring into the classroom, I caught a glimpse of Olive, Ellen, and Jennifer. Satisfied that they were all three present, I took out my book and waited patiently for Snape to enter the room. Genevieve sat beside me and winked at me, causing me to blush.

"Genevieve, don't."

"What? I didn't do anything."

She played innocent to tease me even further. I knew what she was up to. She then leaned over and whispered in my ear as soon as the large doors slammed at the back of the room.

"Hey, you're man's here."

"Shut up!"

I whispered the words back through clenched teeth. I knew she wouldn't actually do anything to give away that she was aware of Severus and I, but I absolutely couldn't stand being teased. I watched as Snape strode up to the front of the room, taking mental inventory of the students as usual. He stopped and stared at the side where the Gryffindors sat, his eyebrow raising with curiosity.

"Miss... Giffer, is it?"

I saw Olive nod, her posse looking equally as uneasy as her. My heart leaped into my throat as excitement built within me. It was going to happen.

"Is there a problem you and your... friends would like to discuss?"

He was taunting them as was his usual hobby with the Gryffindors. Olive spoke up in a small voice. Her face was turning red and she was fidgeting along with Ellen and Jennifer.

"N-no, Professor. May I... we... go to the Infirmary?"

"You will not be leaving this classroom. I do not give out free passes."

The entire class jumped as Olive stood, knocking her stool over. She was followed by Ellen and Jennifer. Snape stared at them, nearly speechless. He had never dealt with any problem students during my time at Hogwarts, as everyone usually feared him and cowered under his icy glare. I was screaming for joy inside as all three girls walked up to the front of the classroom by the chalkboard, right past Snape.

"Get back into your seats **now** or you will all three serve detention with Filtch!"

The entire class began to whisper amongst each other. Olive was a top student among the seventh years and never disobeyed a teacher. I heard Genevieve gasp beside me as Olive threw her robe out onto the walk way. Ellen and Jennifer followed directly after, and all three loosened their ties and began to unbutton their shirts. Snape stood speechless. He was caught off guard at the strange display, all three girls slowly shedding their clothes one after the other. I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing, it was all too perfect. All three girls were now down to their underwear, Olive's a provocative lacy white. Her face was red and her eyes were glinting with arousal, her body beginning to move to a silent beat. She leaned over and ran her hands up her legs, acting like a stripper as she and her two friends walked around each other, slowly removing their underwear. The class had grown silent by now, the boys beginning to breathe heavily as three sets off breasts were freed from the restrictive garments. All three girls came together, dancing together and leaning into each others' bodies. They looked completely drunk, erotic sounds coming from their mouths and blissful smiles upon their faces.

Olive moaned louder, sweat forming on her skin. I then remembered the rest of the spell. I had to find a way to get to the stone to remove the sigil! If I didn't, the curse I had placed on them would begin to harm them more than I had intended. I hadn't meant to kill anyone, however I didn't exactly think everything out fully. I had no choice but to just stand and leave for a few minutes to stop the girls from crumpling to the floor. Genevieve and Severus both looked to me as I stood and ran out of the room, slamming the doors behind me. I would think of an excuse for my actions later. I eyed the stone and ripped the parchment off of it, breathing heavily as my heart raced. Thankfully the dungeons weren't a popular place for students, so the stone halls were pretty empty. I fell back against a wall and caught my breath, tearing the parchment in half.

"_Please_ undo the spell! Make it stop!"

I kicked the stone down the hall a way so it wouldn't be found near the Potion's classroom and waited with an ear to the wall. I heard Snape's voice shouting something at the girls, and then three terrified screams as footsteps quickly approached the doors. Olive, Jennifer, and Ellen came bursting out of the classroom holding their clothes to their chests, heading straight to the bathrooms in the dungeon. They were crying and very humiliated, which made my heart sing. The power from the book was officially mine now, and no one would dare cross me ever again.

OoooooOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooooO

As expected, Genevieve approached me that evening in the common room to deliver some news. I had skipped out on class and ran back to the dorm, leaving my bag behind. Genevieve graciously handed it to me and sat beside me on my favorite couch by the fireplace.

"Hey, Snape wants to see you. He thinks you did it, but how could you have?! Students don't have access to that kind of magic!"

"No, we don't, which is exactly why I'll be just fine. Snape is just pointing fingers."

"But why you? I thought you two were..."

She had lowered her voice to a whisper.

"Well, I did use the love spell, didn't I? I just stumbled upon that in an old dusty book in the library."

I wasn't completely lying. Technically it was a dusty old book that was clear back in the depths of the library. Genevieve nodded.

"Right. Well, you'd better get going. He's pretty pissed. Nearly bit my head off."

I stood, grabbed my bag, and exited the common room. Upon reaching Snape's office I rose a hand to knock but was met with an angry face, the door being swung open before I had a chance to flick my wrist. Of course. He was expecting me, anyway.

"Get inside!"

I walked inside casually and plopped down into the green plush chair across from his desk. He slammed his office door, nearly knocking over several bottles on the shelves lining the walls behind his desk, and locked it. He turned around and approached me quickly, his hands flying out to rest on the arms of the chair. He leaned over, his face inches from mine.

"How did you gain access to that kind of magic?!"

"Severus, come on..."

"You will address me as your Professor! Now answer the question, girl!"

"Look, I just ran from the class because I didn't feel like seeing all of that. It was disgusting."

"That's a piss poor excuse. You were hiding something from me, where is it?"

"Where's what?"

I grew nervous. I had forgotten to take the Grimoire out of my bag. The curse sent a panic through my heart and I grabbed at my chest as I was winded.

"Shit! S-Severus, it hurts!"

"What in the hell is going on now?! Tell me your secrets or I will just let you sit there and rot!"

Tears formed in my eyes at his words and I began to cry. I hunched over and grabbed onto his waist, tears pouring from my eyes. My stomach hurt and my heart ached.

"Speak or I will have no choice but to expel you."

"I c-can't... Severus... Please... I need a bathroom."

"Not until you reveal your secrets!"

I pushed him off quickly and ran over to his trash bin, heaving my entire day's food into the basket. My head was pounding and my breathing labored as I hovered over the waste basket, my stomach finally calming. The tears were still streaming down my face along with sweat.

"I'm sorry..."

My voice was hoarse as I stood and removed my robe, wiping my face with it. I heard Severus approach me after a few minutes and set his hands on my shoulders from behind.

"You must tell me what is going on or it's going to eat you alive! I implicitly told you not to fool around with forces you do not understand, and you've disobeyed me outright. You've even stolen from my personal store of ingredients. And to think I actually believed you. You're nothing but a child who's only interest is getting revenge!"

"Stole...?"

"Don't act like you aren't aware of your own actions. I keep a very tight inventory of all ingredients at all times to prevent theft. I am not oblivious."

"Sev... Severus... Please don't hate me. I love you. I love you!"

My head began to spin, my world slowly moving in all directions at once and then picking up speed. My eyes grew heavy and my body grew clammy, and then I blacked out.


End file.
